Meet The Staff

Clancy Cruise

In 2002, Clancy and his wife, Sandy, moved with their kids from Wooster, OH, to Marysville to begin a new church plant for the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches. This was one small step of faith that God has used to impact the city of Marysville in huge way.

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Though Clancy never saw himself as church-planter, others did. When Clancy came to know the Lord at age 19, Pastor Dan from Westhill Baptist Church in Wooster, OH, where Clancy was born and raised, began to encourage him towards preaching and pastoring. He soon began his formal training at Cedarville College (B.S. in Comprehensive Bible), where he met his wife, Sandy, followed by Grace Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity). He ended up back in Wooster where he served on the pastoral staff at Wooster Grace for 10 years before being persistently approach by Pastor Ed Jackson from Grace Church in Powell about beginning a church here in Marysville. Finally, Pastor Ed was able to persuade Clancy that this was the path God wanted him to take, and it’s obvious that Pastor Ed was right!

Through his years of ministry, Clancy’s passion remains being able to see people learn the gospel – praying a prayer that changes them from the inside out – grow in Christ-like love, then share that hope and love with other. He enjoys creating teams and seeing them be strong in their love, work, and witness. And he enjoys being challenged to use his God-given gifts for others – leadership, teaching, encouragement, discernment, and hospitality.

Kelvin Cooke

Few people on the staff of Marysville Grace have lived in as many places as Pastor Kelvin. Indiana, California, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Washington, Iowa, and now Ohio are all on his list. Many would see this as a physical journey in life, but it has also been a spiritual one.

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When he was 10 years old, Kelvin went to an evangelistic outreach service where he made the choice to accept God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. Eight years later, he was attending a Christian high school when he was given an award for Christian Character. He had been chosen as the one in the school to most display the character of Christ, but instead of feeling honored, he felt convicted. He realized that he was not truly following Christ with his whole heart, so he repented and recommitted his life to Christ. It was at this time that he also felt God calling him to go into full time Christian ministry.

After high school, Kelvin received his B.S. in Pastoral Ministries from Breckbill Bible College then moved to Grace Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity and also met his wife, Kim. Kelvin has had the opportunity to serve in many capacities over the years in the various places he’s lived: Associate Professor and Dean of Students, Senior Pastor, Pastor-Teacher, and a Lay Leader and volunteer. These different roles have given him opportunities to use his creativity and ability to build strong relationships to shepherd, disciple, and encourage the Body of Christ. Kelvin has found great reward in seeing people take the “next step” in their relationship with Christ, whether it’s the first step of faith in Christ or a step of growth in their relationship with Christ. He is also excited by the opportunity to train shepherds and leaders who can carry on the discipleship cycle with others.

Some of Kelvin’s interests include: Kim and their kids, Isabel and Carson, The Iowa Hawkeyes, sports of any kind, and extreme exercise videos.

Jeremy Bury

Jeremy and his wife, Terra, moved in 2007 to Marysville from Georgia where they had been serving as lay leaders in their church worship team. At the time, they had not been looking to move, but, when approached about the worship pastor position here at Marysville Grace, they knew it was what God wanted for them.

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Jeremy grew up in Maryland, close to the Chesapeake Bay. Since his family was very musical, he learned early on to use his gift in music to worship God. When he was in high school, he served on a summer mission team and felt that God was calling him into ministry of some kind. He attended Grace College, where he and Terra met and married, and graduated with his B.A. in Communications and Youth Ministry.

For a few years, Jeremy ventured into the world of business and finance, learning many skills that have since been very helpful to the elder team in the areas of budget and finance. He and Terra moved from Indiana to North Carolina, then to Augusta, Georgia before coming here. They now have 4 growing kids: Emma, Hannah, Ezra, and Levi.

Since coming on staff, Jeremy has been able to build up and lead a strong worship team and plan the programming for each Sunday, where he is excited to help draw people into worshipping God both collectively and personally. He also began Relevant, a ministry for college students and young singles, that is now thriving. In these ways, he finds he is able to form relationships and build and encourage leaders. He has also completed his Masters in Local Church Ministry through Grace Theological Seminary to be even better equipped to serve and lead in the family of God. His greatest joy in what he does is still found in leading people to know and follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Some of Jeremy’s interests include: Spending time with his family, roasting coffee, playing and watch soccer, traveling to new places, and giving Clancy a hard time.

Tyler Kramer

Pastor Tyler is the most recent addition to the Marysville Grace staff, having joined us in April 2014. A native Bellefontaine, he and his wife, Bree, are glad to be back closer to family.

Growing up, Tyler attended a Christian school, then went to Bellefontaine High School. At the age of 10, he accepted Christ as his Savior when he fully realized that Jesus really did die for him.

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During high school, he began to feel God’s call in his life to full time ministry. He attended Cedarville University, where he met Bree, and majored in Youth Ministry and Christian Education. He’s thankful that he’s had several different mentors over the years, including Jarrod Batholomew, Paul Fields, Dr. Hutchinson, and his dad.

Tyler loves being in ministry and has had lots of experience, ranging from youth groups, to sports camps, to mission trips. In all these things, he has learned to approach challenges with prayer, reflection, and waiting for God’s leading. Tyler’s passion is to see students grow, see Jesus more clearly, and become more passionate about Him.

He’s excited to be here at Marysville Grace, a church with the Gospel at it’s center. He’s excited to pour into people and to have other pour into him. He’s excited to see what God will do in our lives together.

Outside of ministry, Bree and his family, Tyler loves sports the best. He is interested in anything having to do with sports and dreams of one day playing in the MLB.

Brad Schellin

Though born in Anchorage, Alaska, Brad spent most of his growing up years right here in Marysville. In 8th grade, after losing his brother to cancer, Brad’s eyes were opened to the meaning of this life and how short it really is, and he soon accepted Christ as his Savior. He was privileged to be mentored throughout high school and college, helping him to grow in his relationship with Christ.

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After high school, Brad attended Cedarville University then spent some years teaching in North Union Schools. He now knows that God is calling him to full time pastoral ministry where he would be able to encourage the Church with the gifts God has given him, such as leadership and teaching.

Brad has had the opportunity to be involved in many different ministries such as youth, young adult, men, and discipleship, and he looks forward to learning even more about ministry in order to develop a solid philosophy for church ministry. He is also taking classes from Liberty University Theological Seminary to be even better prepared for ministry. He desires to, one day, be part of a leadership team to help plant other effective churches outside of Marysville Grace.

Some of Brad’s interests include: playing and coaching soccer, snowboarding, golf, and traveling to new places.

Daniel O’Kane

Originally from New Zealand, Daniel came to the US at the age of 20 to attend Bryan College in Tennessee on a soccer scholarship. Sports had played a huge role in his life. He had even been on teams that traveled internationally. The summer between his sophomore and junior years in college, he was playing on a Christian semi-pro team that was heavily involved in ministry, he was able to see how great Jesus was and how God wanted to use him, and that’s when he finally surrendered his heart to Christ.

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After graduation, Daniel and his wife, Jessica, who had grown up here at Marysville Grace, moved to Florida for a couple years while Jessica finished her education. While there, Daniel was able to serve with a homeless ministry and lead a Life Group. Here at Marysville Grace, he is again working with Life Groups as well as One-on-One discipleship, the Middle School youth, and wherever else he can help out while also taking classes through Grace Theological Seminary.

Daniel is excited by the great things he sees happening here in Marysville and in our church. He desires to continue to grow in his relationship with the Lord and to develop his skills of ministry and understanding of local church ministry.

Some things that interest Daniel include: Jessica, soccer, sports of all kinds, exercise, sushi, teaching Clancy a real New Zealand accent, and learning to speak clear American English.

Isaac Murrell

Cheryl Byers

Cheryl and her husband, Brad, began to attend Marysville Grace very early in the life of the church, in October 2003. At the time, she was staying home with her daughters, Claire and Charlotte, but she soon joined the church staff working first as an administrative assistant then becoming the Children’s Ministry Director in 2009.

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At the age of 9, Cheryl accepted Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Savior of her life. Her faith has grown since then through life’s ups and downs, as she saw God working her life and the lives of others. Even now, she continues to grow and trust Him more each day.

As a teenager, Cheryl became passionate about sharing God’s love and His redemption story and seeing the enthusiastic response of children. For a while, she took a break from serving with kids to serve in other areas but found that she really missed the kids and the awesome volunteers she served with. When she returned to working with children, she immediately felt the joy of being where God had called her to be.

Cheryl loves that, in her job, she is challenged to use her strengths of encouraging others, being flexible, and having faith in God and what He can do. She even finds herself using her previous experience in Human Resources and her degree in Sociology that she received from Mt. Vernon Nazarene University! Some of her favorite things about the ministry she leads are the outreaches, like Vacation Bible School and the Easter Egg Hunt, as well as the weekly Sunday School classes where she gets to see the enthusiasm of the kids and volunteers as the learn about God and His deep love for us.

Some other of Cheryl’s interests include: spending time with family, scrapbooking, reading, and trying new, healthy recipes.

Melissa Lallo

JAM Studio Kids Ministry Assistant

Ronnie Wood

Julia Anontvechrucks

Shortly after getting married in 2002, Julia and her husband, Alan, attended a meeting at the home of Clancy and Sandy about starting a new church called Marysville Grace and has been excited ever since by what God is doing through that church.

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Julia grew up in a family full of pastors, church planters, missionaries, and Bible teachers, so she heard the truth about Jesus’ love at the earliest age possible. At 4 years old, she asked Jesus into her heart and life, but it wasn’t until high school that her faith became more about her own relationship with Jesus and not so much about her family’s faith. After high school, she attended a two-year Biblical studies program at Word of Life Bible Institute in upstate New York. At the time, she knew that God wanted her in ministry, but she didn’t know what that ministry would look like.

Following Bible school, she moved home to continue her education, but God closed those doors in some very obvious ways. She soon took an administrative assistant position where she had to create brochures and other printed materials, and God began to reveal and grow a talent that she didn’t even know she had. In 2008, she joined the staff and continues to enjoy both the creative and communication sides of her job.

Over the years here at the church, she has seen her faith become more steadfast and the reality of God’s love has been impressed on her in a very real way. She feels challenged by the pastors and the whole church family to not become complacent in her walk with Jesus, and to continue to reach out and serve in the ways God is leading.

Some things that interest Julia include: family time (with her husband, Alan, and their kids, Lily and Henry), reading, cooking, drama, sewing and crafts, and traveling.

Sue Conn

Sue first heard about Marysville Grace while attending a Bible study at Grace Church in Powell with her sister in law and Pastor Ed Jackson’s wife, Polly. When she and her husband, Greg, visited they knew this was where God was leading them to serve.

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They joined the clean-up team, and Sue also taught Sunday School to the 2 year olds. Before long, Sue was able to serve in a greater capacity when she joined the staff as the administrative assistant.

Sue’s desire to serve first began when she accepted Jesus as her Savior at the age of 12 while growing up in the hills of Pennsylvania. In her early twenties, she was asked to help with children’s ministry, and, even though she was surprised that this was what God wanted for her, she went ahead and volunteered. After only a couple weeks, she found she loved the kids and seeing them understand how much God loves them. She wanted to do more, and has now been teaching children for 21 years.

But Sue’s gifts are not limited to working with children. She is extremely organized and detailed and works hard to keep the church running well, on time and on budget (thanks, in part, to her training in accounting). She lives her life with passion in all that she does, but mostly with a passion for seeing people come to know Jesus. She is excited to see how God is working in lives here in Union County.

Outside of work, Sue’s interests include: Her husband, Greg, and their kids (Samantha, and husband, Kyle, and Aaron), cooking, gardening, and helping out anyone who needs it!

Lydia Simms

Lydia first joined the Marysville Grace staff as an intern in 2011 after graduating from Grace College with a B.A. in Intercultural Studies. She is married to Andrew who is, in her words, “the most joyful person” she knows. She was born and raised in central Ohio and accepted Christ when she was very young. Over the years, she has experienced the continuing process of learning about Him and growing to love Him and follow Him more. She is thankful for God’s faithfulness during trials and times where her faith has lacked.

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Before coming on staff at Marysville Grace, she was able to have an internship, with Encompass World Partners and participate in several international missions trips. These days, she and Andrew enjoy serving occasionally with IFI, a ministry to international students at OSU, and they lead a Life Group here at Marysville Grace.

Some things Lydia loves about her job include the opportunity to see people from diverse backgrounds find unity and common ground in Jesus and to witness a friend who has been struggling begin to grow and mature in Christ. Administratively, she enjoys working to make a program or event happen and seeing people impacted for God through it.

Outside of work, some of Lydia’s interests include: trying out new restaurants and listening to live music with Andrew, cooking, reading, and going on trips.

Bud Brentlinger

Elder Team

Bud and his wife of 38 years, Beth, have attended Marysville Grace since 2011. He is involved in the Hospitality and Usher teams, as well as Men’s ministry. Beth serves on the Hospitality team, and, together, they shepherd a Life Group. Bud and Beth have 3 married children, Kelly, Katie, and Ryan and have 6 grandchildren, Lindsey, Jeffrey, Brianna, Parker, Caroline, and Kinsley. They keep busy with hobbies of hiking, geocaching, home projects, skydiving and flying (since Bud is a private pilot).

Brett Garrett

Elder Team

For over 8 years, Brett and Julie, have been a part of the family at Marysville Grace. For years, they served in the infant nursery and taught Sunday School. Brett now serves on the Steering Team for the oversight of the building, and he shepherds a Life Group. Julie keeps busy homeschooling their 3 kids – Kyle, Kelley, and Connor – and working part time.

Andy Heller

Elder Team

Andy and Beth have been a part of Marysville Grace since 2008. He works with our Missions team, shepherds a Life Group, and, together with Beth, teaches every other month in Kids’ Praise. They have three growing kids – Brooklyn, Xavier, and Isaac – who keep them busy by being involved in everything from dance and music to sports of all kinds.

Craig Meredith

Elder Team

Craig and his wife, Suzanne, have attended Marysville Grace since July 2012. They have served as the coordinators of the Together in His Story stewardship campaign and have recently become Life Group shepherds. Craig and Suzanne are excited to be a part of the new Saturday evening service, and for Craig to be able to help in JAM Studio Kids. They have two adult children (Michael and Megan) who also attend Marysville Grace. Craig and Suzanne are also very happy to celebrate 30 years of marriage in June 2015.

Gary Murdock

Elder Team

Gary and Linda have been a part of Marysville Grace since the church started in 2002. He serves as a Life Group Shepherd, the church Treasurer, and with the Finance Team. He and Linda have been married for 30 years and have 3 kids – Jessica (Daniel) O’Kane, Kyle, and Rachel. Outside of church, Gary has been involved in Marysville with coaching middle school football, and Linda teaches at Navin Elementary.